Kalyan cops: Move animals to safety first, then ask for protection

Representational picture

After the school wall collapse in Kalyan last week, the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) wants to clear out all illegal constructions in the area, and have asked for police protection. The Bazarpeth police have, however, told KDMC to first make arrangements for sheltering the buffaloes and horses in the area first only after which protection will be given. There are three large buffalo shelters and four horse shelters in the area, housing around 700 animals.

Three residents of Kalyan died after a wall of the National Urdu School, opposite Durgadi Fort in Kalyan West, collapsed around midnight last Tuesday. The injured and dead were employees of a buffalo shelter situated nearby. Imtiaz Shaikh, one of the residents, said, "If a larger part of the wall had collapsed, our animals too would have died."

After the incident, KDMC has started the much-awaited work on the road that was to be built in the area. For this, KDMC needed to vacate all illegal encroachments there.

SPI Yashwant Chavan of Bazarpeth police station has sent a letter to the KDMC commissioner requesting for arrangements to be made for the animals. "There are more than 700 animals in the area. Removing people is easy because they will find alternative living options, but what about the animals. We have requested KDMC officials to do the needful."

KDMC commissioner Govind Bodke said, "We are definitely thinking about the animals. Our department officers are working on an alternative accommodation for them."

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